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Coverage of Sedition Charges Against JNU Students in the Hindu & The IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 22, Issue 4, Ver. 5 (April 2017) PP 17-22 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org Coverage of sedition charges against JNU students in The Hindu & The Times of India Sobhika V1, Sikha N.2 1 (Sub-Editor, The Eco Pages, Green magazine, Kerala) 2 (Guest Lecturer, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Calicut, Kerala, India) Abstract: Media have always played a vital role in positioning of a story since its origin. The coverage of a news item and its positioning in the newspaper will decide the significance of the story. If a newspaper gives more importance to a news item, then there will be an agenda behind it. These agenda will make readers to think the particular story as a crucial one at the time. The study examines the newspaper coverage of JNU issue of two national dailies. The researchers try to examine the coverage of the news by analysing its position in the newspapers. This study attempts to examine the coverage of the JNU controversy by analysing the two national dailies, The Hindu and The Times of India. Method of the study was content analysis. Qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to examine the reports. The study also discusses the frames used in the reports by the newspapers. The study period was from 10th February 2016 to 3rd March 2016. The samples were taken and measured by the researchers. The news stories, photographs, editorials, space, quotations etc. have been measured. Keywords: JNU controversy, newspaper coverage, positioning, agenda setting, framing, The Hindu, The Times of India I. INTRODUCTION The prime responsibility of a newspaper is to inform people about the latest events. Journalists gather news and information daily that may directly or indirectly relate to the human life. Every segment including political, administrative, environment, education, and entertainment comes under the news title. Events that affect people may absorb more space in the newspaper. The content will be large and authentic. It shall carry the minute details of the story. The mass media always viewed as a powerful tool to influence people’s view and observation. In this study, the researchers try to find out how did the national dailies, The Hindu and The Times of India reported the Jawaharlal Nehru University controversy of sedition. The issue has risen because of the cultural event happened at the University campus on February 9th evening. Both the newspapers have played a crucial role in covering the issue. I.1 Agenda setting Making of a story has some strategies. Every news organizations will have its own strategies and styles regarding the story. By comparing the salience of issues in news content with the public’s perceptions of the most important election issue McCombs and Shaw were able to determine the degree to which media determines public opinion. Since the 1968 study, published in a 1972 edition of Public Opinion Quarterly, more than 400 studies have been published on the agenda setting function of the mass media and the theory continues to be regarded as relevant. Each and every media organizations will have a particular agenda setting theory. The organization frames news stories, articles, columns, advertisements and various other materials according to this agenda. There will be agendas for every organization, political parties and government. They moves by this agenda and without it, there won’t be any coordination. I.2 Theoretical Framework Framing is a process of presenting a narrative to a target audience that promotes a desired interpretation of perceived reality by highlighting some aspects or issues while disregarding others and making connections among them (Entman, 2007).The process by which the media place reality into frame; and the study of the process of framing is at the core of media analysis, hence the length of this entry. Framing constitutes a narrative device. What is not on the page of a newspaper is ‘out of frame’; what does not appear to put in the frame. Time, then the shortness of it- is an importing deciding factor. (James Watson, 2003). The framing theory was put forwarded by Erving Goffman, in his study, Frame Analysis: an Essay on the organization of Experience. He put forth that people interpret what is what is going on around their world through their primary framework. DOI: 10.9790/0837-2204051722 www.iosrjournals.org 17 | Page Coverage of sedition charges against JNU students in The Hindu & The Times of India For Goffman, ‘the frames are not consciously manufactured but are unconsciously adopted in the course of communicative processes’ (He, 2010). II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Durga Ray, University of South Florida, in her article, “Frames in the U.S Print Media Coverage of the Kashmir conflict” (2004), examined the frames used by the U.S print media- The New York Times, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times- in their coverage of the Kashmir conflict and the parties involved in it from 1989 to 2003. The study divided the fifteen year coverage into four phases – 1989-1990, 1991-1998, 1999- 2001 and 2002-2003. The study has found that in the first two phases, the conflict was described as a violent Kashmiri separatist movement and depicting it is ongoing violent conflict between India and Pakistan. “Framing and Coverage of same sex marriage in U.S Newspapers”, (2010), published in Howard Journal of Communications, by Xigen Li, City University of Hong Kong and Xudong Liu, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA, examined fairness and balance in the coverage of same sex marriage by five U.S newspapers and how source use, newspaper working context, and media frames affect fairness and balance of the coverage. Content analysis has been used for the findings. By analyzing 209 stories they found that overall coverage of same sex marriage was fair and balanced and stories framed as episodic. Usharani Narayana, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mysore and Priti Kapur, Head of the Department of Photography and Photojournalism at the Chamarajendra, Academy of Visual Arts, Mysore, examined how the media has treated Muslims, the largest minority group in India in their study entitled “Indian Media Framing of the image of Muslims; An Analysis of News Coverage of Muslims in English Newspapers of India” (2011), published in Media Asia volume: 38. The researchers used an analytical technique of framing approach. They have taken five mainstream national newspapers namely The Statesman, the Indian Express, The Hindu, the Hindustan Times and The Times of India. The news reports and other editorial content pertaining to Muslims that were published between 2001 and 2006 were selected through Lexis-Nexus database. “Unseen and Unheard-how Dalits are represented in three Indian newspapers” (2012) by Joanna Wahlstedt of University of Sodertorn, Department of Communication Media and IT, examined how the Dalits are represented in three newspapers: The Times of India, The Hindu and Indian Express. It focuses on how do journalists find their reporting about Dalits by using the theories: development journalism, the agenda setting theory and theory about minorities in media. The quantitative content analysis was done in Delhi during 17 days. 98 articles that mentioned Dalits were found and coded. The qualitative method used respondent research. And the results show that Dalits are mentioned quiet often in the newspapers, but the main subject is almost never Dalits and their situation in society. The study titled “Representation of Violence against women in Indian print media: A comparative analysis” (2012) by Rupsyar Das, University of Calcutta, aimed at investigating print news discourses on an act of violence perpetrated on women in India, which evoked a nation-wide non-violent protest, popularly known as ‘The Pink Chaddi’ campaign, 2009. The analysis has been done between national and local newspapers. The advanced computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software has been used for the content analysis. “Newspaper framing of the Kudamkulam Nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu” (2016) by I. Arul Aram, G.C. Prem Nivas and G.P. Ramya, Anna University, Chennai, analysed the framing of the Kudamkulam nuclear power project issue in two major newspapers: The Hindu and The Times of India. The research has found that episodic framing was used more in The Times of India than in The Hindu. Thematic framing was adopted by The Hindu than by The Times of India. III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To find out the differences in coverage of the story of JNU controversy by the selected newspapers. To find out how the selected newspapers frame the JNU issue IV. METHODOLOGY Qualitative and quantitative content analyses are used to find out the priorities and significance of the newspapers to the given issue. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis is carried out to find out the coverage of JNU controversy in The Hindu and The Times of India. The qualitative content analysis will help to understand the style and significance of the coverage regarding the issue. And the quantitative content analysis will help to count the number of stories, photographs; space and editorial have given to the issue by the both national dailies. The study focus deeply analyzing the content of news articles, editorial page, columns and features, front page columns and photographs about the topic. DOI: 10.9790/0837-2204051722 www.iosrjournals.org 18 | Page Coverage of sedition charges against JNU students in The Hindu & The Times of India V. SAMPLING PROCEDURE In this study, two newspapers are selected to observe the qualitative and quantitative content analysis regarding the JNU controversy of sedition which appeared in the two national dailies The Hindu and The Times of India. The study period was from February 10th 2016 to March 3rd 2016.
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